The Fight for Namimori?
by ikrose234
Summary: Vongola Decimo is faced with a difficult situation. Confronted by an unknown enemy, will he sacrifice their identities as normal students to protect innocents? The seven Guardians must hold the school grounds and protect the students until support can arrive! Will they fall or will their allies reach them in time? Are they the allies that they expected? Who can help them now?
1. Suspicious

The Fight for Namimori?

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Fan-fiction

**Written by**: IKrose234

**Beta**: Available~

**Summary**: Vongola Decimo is faced with a difficult situation. Confronted by an unknown enemy, can he keep their cover as normal students safe or will he sacrifice it to protect his fellow students? The seven Guardians must hold the school grounds and protect the students until support can arrive! A race against time! Will they fall or will their allies reach them in time?

**Pairings:** No serious pairings intended. Little flirty moments here and there in joking kind of way. The perverted kind of jokes you'd expect from high school students. There are yaoi jokes, a lot. That means BOYXBOY, don't like don't read! If you tolerate it, then you can tolerate this story because there isn't any sort of romance.

**Setting: **Set when they're in high school.

**Disclaimer: KHR will never be mine and it never has been! If you thought it was mine then I question you sanity!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Suspicious**

Tsuna was about ready to crack under the pressure. Or at least throw a heavy blunt object at someone, whichever came first. He could feel multiple pairs of eyes boring into his back from the other students that had already finished their tests. He was always one of the last ones to get done; though a few others were still franticly scribbling down answers, so not all the attention was on him. The teacher had insisted that there was no pressure to get done fast and they should take their sweet time, yet had contracted himself unknowingly by saying the students could talk once everyone was done. Naturally this caused the students who breezed through quickly and had nothing better to do to stare at the people who were taking too long; namely, Tsuna.

He was used to it of course, but that didn't mean it didn't bother him. Ignoring them the best he could, Tsuna tried to focus solely on the test if front of him. The next ten minutes were torture. Even factoring out the heated gazes trying to set him ablaze, he had trouble focusing on the test. A tingling sensation was drifting around at the edge of mind, like the memories of a pleasant dream that remains_ just _out of reach. Every time he tried to reach out to it, it receded and left him grabbing at air. When Tsuna turned his attention back to the paper lying painfully unfinished in front of him; it poked at him until its bothering was too much to bear.

Rushing through the last few questions, Tsuna slammed his pencil down in victory and leapt from his desk, onto his feet, without a second glance at the score card. He took a second to rejoice at the feeling of his numb legs being stretched. Then he realized he was getting odd looks from the rest of the class and hurried to the teacher's desk in the front of the room to turn in his paper. Fighting off a blush, the Vongola Decimo mentally groaned at the thought of sitting down in that damn seat again. Plopping into the blasted chair, he tried to be as discrete as possible when he slid his legs out from under the table. Glancing around him with paranoia that would make a government spy proud, Tsunayoshi slowly, carefully, slouched lower and lower in the plastic chair until his legs were fully stretched in the walkway and his shoulders rested against the wall behind him.

Sighing inwardly in relief, Tsuna rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. If someone asked him for his name right then he would have just given them a blank stare. The blissful thoughtlessness naturally didn't last – the day Tsuna should have any sort of peace was the day all the mafias in the world ceased to exist. The nagging mystery sensation was back and as annoying as ever. Frustrated, he opened his eyes and stared angrily at the ceiling like it was to blame. _What is my Intuition trying to tell me . . . ?_

Noise up front snapped Tsuna's attention back to the people around him. The teacher had dismissed them until lunch break, and students were eagerly jumping from their assigned seats. He got some more stares due to the lazy position he had been caught in and quickly sat up. Yamamoto slammed his hands palms down onto the desk behind Tsuna, who jumped, and Gokudera alighted into the desk across from him.

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto grinned and rested his weight on his hands, knees in place on the chair. Tsuna tilted his back and ruefully looked up at his taller friend. If only puberty had been kinder.

Noting the look, Gokudera glared at the baseball player. "Oi, don't try to intimidate Juudaime!"

"Haha, what?" Takeshi turned his playful expression to the one addressing him. He didn't move from his position at all, clearly not realizing that looming over someone was impolite.

While his Guardians started to argue, Tsuna's attention drifted to the windows. His Intuition was still screaming at him, though he was finally able to place the feeling. Unrest. The unsettling emotion pooled in the bottom of his stomach and dropped the temperature a good ten degrees. The Sky Guardian stared into the trees near the school border fence, daring something to go wrong.

Of course, silly Tsunayoshi should have learned by now that when you tempt fate, you're just begging for misfortune.

* * *

Hot. All of Tsuna's senses had been completely floored by the heat wave and left him floundering like a tuna on land. All that was left was this _insufferable_ heat. He cracked open an eye to glare half-heartedly at the sky. He would stare down the sun, but he'd rather keep his eyes, thank you.

"Oi, oi! Come on Sawada!" Said boy rounded his gaze on the senpai demanding his attention. "It's not time for a rest yet! Let's keep going!" Ryohei jogged in place in front of the younger male, enthusiastically shadow boxing the air in front of him.

Gokudera groaned and dropped onto the grass next to his boss, who remained spread-eagle on his back. "Give us a break, Turf Top!" He growled, glaring daggers "It's too damn hot for this!"

Watching his friends quickly decline into an argument, but not doing anything to stop it, Tsuna marveled at their stamina. For whatever reason, the physical education teacher had split the students into groups of four to three, and then had an upper-classman lead them. The students picked their own groups, so naturally Tsuna had grouped with Gokudera and Yamamoto, and Ryohei had quickly closed in on them as leader.

Ryohei, being the most diehard of any boxers Tsuna had encountered, set a fast pace running laps around the school building. After a good eight laps Tsuna was about ready to croak. He flopped into the shadiest patch of grass he could find and refused to get up. Despite the intense heat, Ryohei – who had yet to break a sweat – seemed completely unaffected, and was confused by the under-classmen's sudden tiredness. He let them rest as he dutifully jogged in place. Yamamoto, being a baseball player, was more used to the harsh pace that was set and continued to jog next to the Sun Guardian. Granted, however, his laughter held a twinge of fatigue and he had at least started to sweat.

As Tsunayoshi watched his senior, he couldn't help to wonder how he escaped the sun's merciless rays. Even his fellow athletes were being affected. Was it because Ryohei was the Sun Guardian? After voicing this thought to Gokudera, they both analyzed the older man. After the exchange of ideas and the rejection of them all, the boys were stumped. Thinking further, Tsuna recalled an interesting fact.

"Ne, Gokudera-kun, I thought of something," Tsuna said, grabbing his right-hand-man's attention. "Reborn always wears his black suit, even though it's hot out, right?" Gokudera nodded. "Well he never seems to get hot, or at least doesn't show it at all; but isn't he the Sun Acrobaleno?"

They stared at each other as that information suck in. Sun Guardians _had_ to be immune to the sun's heat. _It was the only logical explanation_.

While the boys were busy flailing and being astounded by their break through, Ryohei and Yamamoto (who had decided to run another lap while the others rested) "snuck" up behind them. A startled yelp and lots of colorful language later, Tsuna and Gokudera were dragged up on their feet and force to run again. Tsuna was starting to kindle a new-found hate for running as well as the summer time. So lost in thought, he didn't even notice the little yellow puff ball hovering about his head, singing.

* * *

Hibari watched the scene in front of him with little interest. It was nothing new, gym class was often held here. From his vantage point on the roof, he could see the herbivores being herded around and around the building, almost like sheep. Idiots.

Ignoring the flock of lambs, the predator snapped his eyes to the tree line. It bugged him; something was out of place in his school. He would not stand for this. The displeasure was, for whatever reason, associated with the small bundle of trees at the fence line. The plants weren't technically on school property, but he knew from experience that it was easy to hide in their branches. They provided the perfect hide-out for watching the front school yard.

Distracted momentarily, Hibird fluttered over on stumpy wings. It chirped merrily at its master and settled on his head. Hibari allowed a small smile as the bird snuggled into his jet black hair. The small purple box next to the skylark shook and he could hear Roll squeaking inside. He would let the hedgehog out later, he had people to harass.

Slipping his Vongola box into a pocket, Hibari didn't hesitate in jumping from the rooftop. Landing easily with a heavy _'THUD,'_ he inspected the offending vegetation as he strolled slowly closer. Maybe he could find something strong enough to play with.

* * *

"One knows," the shadow whispered into an intercom. Hidden among the shadows, his form was undefined.

"_Take care of it quickly_," a voice crackled.

The man nodded, then quickly realized his mistake and replied "Yes, sir." The line went dead and he quickly stashed the communication device. He focused again on the movements of a nearby student, the target.

* * *

Tsuna was ready to just go to sleep. He's nerves were running thin after all that had happened, though he wasn't entirely sure why. It had been a normal day, with no mentionable failures outside what was normal. He put it down to his Hyper Intuition wearing him down after making him nervous him all day. '_It could be worse_,' Tsuna mused, '_like when in middle school_.' In high school (under Reborn's tutoring) his grades had improved, though they still remained low. With all the paper work that came with being Vongola Decimo, it was hard to find time to get homework done.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Tsunayoshi focused on the person approaching him. Delayed by his thoughts, he didn't have time to flee when he realized it was Hibari Kyoya. Tsuna had yet to grow out of the habit of disappearing at the sight of the perfect. He smirked to himself as he waited for Hibari. In middle school the violent man was to be avoided by all means; but after he became a Guardian and they moved on to high school, Tsuna had become much more familiar with his presence. That didn't mean he had no fear of the Cloud; it was just more of an 'I-respect-your-power-and-acknowledge-you-can-over power-me' kind of way, rather than 'this-man-is-trying-to-kill-me' kind of way. Besides, he wouldn't be approaching Tsuna after school if it wasn't something important.

"Did you bring someone to the school?" Hibari accused. No "Hello" or "How are you" or any attempt at a greeting.

Tsuna blinked in confusion. "Brought to the school?" he repeated. "No, what happened?" He recalled from a while ago, that someone from Vongola had wanted to meet with him after school, and Hibari _had not_ taken kindly to it. He always told everyone to go to his house after that.

The perfect hummed disapprovingly and glanced suspiciously over one shoulder, then the other. "Someone's nearby," he warned. He turned his glare, full force, back on his boss. "I do not approve of you dragging my school anywhere near the mafia."

The hairs on the back of Tsuna's arms stood up. _Someone targeting the school . . . _Tsuna's thoughts rushed. He was completely somber now; in "boss mode" as his guardians liked to call it. In his head, he ran through the names of any families that had caused trouble lately or had in the past. "Did you find anybody? Any leads on what family, or any family's signature?"

Hibari shook his head. Tsuna cursed under his breath. ". . . I'll have to talk with Reborn," he said slowly. "Notify me the second you find anything," he added, eyes snapping up to meet Hibari's. "Evacuate the students that are still here if you feel it is necessary. Don't hesitate to call the other Guardians."

Hibari nodded, satisfied measures were being taken. Suddenly hearing something, he turned around sharply, brandishing his tonfas. Seeing Hibari get ready to attack something, Tsuna had his Dying Will pills in hand faster than you could blink. They relaxed when he saw it was only Hibird. The little bird circled its owner's head, almost nervously, chirping.

"Hibari nervous, Tsunayoshi nervous! Bad man, bad man? Danger! Danger at Namimori!" It sang. Both Mafioso tensed.

Tsunayoshi felt a sharp pain. He whipped around, hand clamped to the back of his neck where he had felt it. It pulled away with an almost unnoticeable smear of blood.

"Shit!" Wobbly already, he knees gave out against his will. His sight was blurring and tilted sickeningly to the left. He processed Hibari yelling and Hibird's singing shift to what sounded like alarm before his mind went black.

* * *

**ahhhhhhhh, finally got around to uploading this! Sorry to the people who read my Legend of Zelda fic, this isn't an update XD In an after thought, if you guys have a name you want to suggest, I would love you forever. I've been using cameo names for the last couple chapters XD Seriously. Names. Give them.**


	2. MOE

Chapter Two

M.O.E.

**Updated at last :D Because Chami is awesome. And disserves a hug! Love for all the wonderful reviews I got! 3**

* * *

_He processed Hibari yelling and Hibird's singing shift to what sounded like alarm before his mind went black._

* * *

"Dammit!" Hibari caught the herbivore before he could crack his skull open. He could sense the situation deteriorating at an alarming rate. Hibird was fluttering around his head in disarray and making terrified chirping noises. Hibari knew that it was a matter of time before the school was attacked or the sniper tried to shoot him down too. He needed to move, and _fast_.

Slinging Tsuna over one shoulder and Hibird clinging to his other, Kyoya took off for the school building. Not a moment too soon. He heard the fire of rifle and felt the bullet dig into the ground behind his heel. He quickly took note that it was actually not a bullet; he saw the sunlight gleaming on the miniature needle. The sniper was aiming to stun, not kill.

With the doors nearing rapidly, the chain-wire gates of the fence lurched. The lock managed to hold out against the first strike, but gave way under the second. Hibari caught a glimpse of men in black SWAT armor shouldering their way through the gate as he ran through the double-doors and turned the corner. Cursing profusely, he skidded to a halt when gunfire peppered the walls in front of him. Turning his back, the skylark sprinted down the adjacent corridor, blood boiling. Kicking open the nearest classroom door, he all but threw Sawada to the floor.

Had he been on his own, he would have shredded the intruders just for being in a mob, let alone the property damage. However, with a collapsed Tsuna to defend against a fully armed squadron, with help from an unidentified sniper, he knew better than to take the risk. Normally he would have done it anyway, but he knew this was also related to the mafia. He needed to communicate this to the rest of the school, or at least the other Guardians. The mafia wouldn't stop an attack simply because there were innocents inside.

Flipping open his cell phone, Hibari quickly discovered the line had already been blocked. He wouldn't be able to call for back up this way. Hibari groaned; this should definitely _not_ be his problem to deal with.

* * *

Tsuna moaned as he slowly blinked open his eyes. He registered the throbbing in his head before being assaulted by a coughing fit. After a good minute of hacking it subsided. Breathing hard, Tsuna took in his situation once he was calm again. Hibari was alerted to the fact he was awake by the coughing and now stood in front of him. He could make out a classroom setting behind the skylark.

"How long have I been out?" Tsuna questioned, returning his attention to the teen in front of him.

"A few minutes," Hibari confirmed. "The courtyard is already taken over by gunmen, they might be in the building as well. The phone lines are jammed."

"Damn . . ." Tsuna quickly took in the information. These guys were quick, and had already gotten the drop on them. "We need a way to send a message to the others," he thought aloud. "Is the school's intercom system still working?" Hibari nodded. "Good, we can use it to send a message. But that means the enemy can hear us too. We'll need to use a code."

The Sky attempt to use the wall to push off of and stand, but quickly found out it wasn't working. He knew he wasn't going to last long; it was only a matter of time before he passed out again.

"Shit," Tsuna leaned against the wall for support, holding his head. "Hibari," at hearing his name, the skylark raised an eyebrow to show he was listening. "Quick, hand me that pen and notepad."

The Cloud Guardian fetched the items for the teacher's desk, handing them over. He was impassive about what the Vongola boss was planning, but he wanted these pests out of his school so he let the boy work.

"There," Tsuna declared, ripping out the paper from the stack. "The others will be able to understand the message, but it'll sound like nonsense to everyone else." He handed the plans over to the Cloud. "Relay those over the intercom. Try not to cause a panic."

Hibari skimmed over the message quickly. He smirked as he recognized the code the tuna fish was using. No one would be able to understand it; they had made it up last time the school was thought to be in trouble. It had been a false alarm then, be the skylark knew that the other Guardians would remember the meanings.

"One last thing," Hibari glanced up at the sound of Tsuna's voice. The teen never quiet recovered his breath from coughing and sweat was starting to form on his forehead. "Please follow the plan; the part for you at least." Despite his failing condition, Tsuna stared at Hibari firmly, who huffed but still agreed. Tsuna smiled before letting his eyes slide closed again.

* * *

Yamamoto smiled an apology to one of his many baseball friends and quickly fell to the back of the pack. He dropped his false smile and instead frowned at the forest outside the yellow-topped fence. He didn't have the Hyper Intuition that Tsuna had, but he had been picking up on an ominous aura all day.

Upon hearing the sharp tone of the whistle on the other side of the field, Takeshi slowed to a walk. He had baseball practice right after class ended, which was why he wasn't able to accompany Tsuna and Gokudera on the way home. Gokudera had actually had to stay after too – something about a bribe and one science club or other. He hoped that his gut was telling him wrong; he didn't want Tsuna to walk home alone if there was danger close by.

"Oooii, Takeshi!" Yamamoto was dragged out of his thoughts by the voice of one of the other baseball players. He recovered the veneer of a smile from earlier, effectively masking his worry. He picked up his pace slightly and jogged over to join the others in the dugout.

The same player that had called him over – an upper-classman— slung his arm around Yamamoto's shoulders. "Ne, Takeshi, we haven't all spent much time together – as a team. What do you say to coming with us? We're all going over to that little shop in town to get pizza."

Yamamoto laughed bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "We haven't, have we?" He ducked out from under his friends arm and started the search for his bag. "But I don't know if I can." He shoved away what was possibly the eighth incorrect bag so far. '_I thought I left it over here'_ he thought with a frown. "Stuff to do, you know? Have to study for that test . . ." he trailed off. This was starting to get stupid; he had search practically the whole dugout without the smallest indication of where his bag was.

"I'm not sure I do know."

Takeshi froze at the chilly tone of voice. He turned to his teammate, a small smile – one that could have been taken as nervous – on his lips. "What?" he questioned. Maybe he was not paying enough attention and had miss heard them.

The upperclassman smirked, resting his elbows on the railing behind him. "I said, Takeshi," he repeated, "that I'm not sure if I do understand. Aren't we a team?"

At this point the other players in the dugout were beginning to take interest. The upper classman, Osamu, was one of the more noticeable players of the team. The other members let him take the lead and naturally fell in behind him. Both he and Takeshi stood out as the 'leaders' of the team. Automatically, the sudden tension between them caught the curiosity of the others.

"Of course we're a team," Yamamoto chuckled, struggling to maintain light hearted. "What are you getting at?"

"Well then, you should come with us, obviously!" Osamu heartily laughed. Despite his up-beat words and actions, the Rain Guardian could practically _feel_ the irritation rolling off the guy. "You've been ducking out on us a lot lately! Maybe you should come with us, just for a little while, ne?"

'_There it is_.' Yamamoto couldn't tell if the words were an invitation or a threat. The on lookers quickly took note that his smile had shrunk again, now completely closed-lipped.

His smile could also be taken as a warning, to those sharp enough to pick it out.

"I would love to go with you guys, really," Yamamoto addressed the whole of the dugout with this, eyes flitting between teammates before settling on the challenger again. "But I can't. I need to _study_ for tomorrow's_ test_." He finished with his signature grin, head tilted slightly to the side. The smile contrasted the obvious hint in the stressed words.

The crowd shuffled nervously, murmurs sparking. Yamamoto Takeshi did not get annoyed. It was almost unspoken rule that the whole of the team recognized. It went along with Yamamoto's character. He was up-beat, happy, and _never_ lost that smile while off the field. On the field, his personality, however, did a 180. He was serious, focused, and while he never was mean, he was powerful. They pitied the receiving end of one of his pitches.

Yet here, off the field (not even after a game) Yamamoto Takeshi was showing the tell-tale signs of hostility. The team knew he was human, obviously, and he reacted with anger when pressed. They simply had never pressed so hard or in the correct direction to ever see Yamamoto's rage. There was one story_, one and only one_, of him being furious. It was when someone had harassed his friend while he was there. The person ended up with some serious injuries.

No one knew how much of the rumor was true, is any of it was. But they, his teammates, would understand best the damage the teen could inflict. They had played with him before, they knew the power that Yamamoto could wield if he so chose to. All of them feared and respected it.

Osamu, dense as he was, could take the hint. Swallowing, his fingers curled and uncurled nervously on the railing. "Uh, yeah, sure, that's fine!" Osamu had never seen something like this, but he would like to have all his limbs attached and uninjured, so he backed off. "Some other time then!"

"Yeah, maybe later!" the Rain's smile opened up again, no longer hostile. Both males showed obvious relief as the conversation broke off. The dugout could breathe peacefully again, quickly moving to finish packing their things. The crowd dispersed and trickled out onto the grass. The murmurs didn't quite stop though, and many curious and fearful looks were shot Takeshi's way. As the players from the other bunker worked their way over, they were quickly informed of the encounter.

Yamamoto was glad for the shortened practice. All the teachers had been called away towards the end of school, leaving the last ten minutes up to a study hall. The clubs that were led with teacher supervision were dismissed, but the clubs that were student led were still functioning normally. Most, if not all, sports teams could function without their real coach for the day, so the baseball team had one of the kids that couldn't play (injury) serve as the temporary coach. Of course, without supervision the kids didn't put in 100%, and they stopped fairly early for the day.

Takeshi swung the shoulder strap of his bat case in place and exited the dugout. The speakers hoisted on the top of the flag pole caught everyone's attention as they started to crackle. Who would be sending a message through the intercoms not only after school, but when there was no staff on hand?

"Attention, all students on the school ground," the voice was clearly male, though the intercom system was trying its hardest to make a butchery of it. "We have an important announcement for the student supervisors on campus." Yamamoto's eyes snapped up to the megaphone. It couldn't be . . . "We would ask all students to cooperate in the following. The after school project 'M.O.E.' will be taking place as of now." _'It is' _Yamamoto thought, throat going dry. "To all student supervisors, please listen carefully for instructions. Number 59; please guide your group to the meeting point. Number 80; send your group to the meeting point, and check the other areas around yours. RY; clear your area and guide your group to the meeting point as well. Number 59; once your group is at the check point, assist Number 80 in the check of that area. Once your area is clear, Numbers 59, 80, and RY remain at the meeting point and wait for further instructions. Number 18; proceed to the north entrance and wait for further instructions. Number 69 or 96; proceed to the south exit and wait for further instructions. Number 27 is currently at the meeting point, but not currently active. Number 27 is down. Repeat, Number 27 is down. R and L are attempting to be contacted. Repeat, project 'M.O.E.' is now starting. That is all; please follow your instructions as given."

The megaphone cracked and sputtered one last time before dying. Silence hung over the baseball team currently resting under it. Chaos exploded moments after. "What's 'M.O.E.' mean?", "What's going on?", and "Who are the supervisors?" spread through the crowd like wild fire.

But Yamamoto didn't hear it. One part of the message was being replayed in his head, over and over. _'Number 27 is down. Repeat, Number 27 is down.'_ It was like a sick song that glitches on the CD and was stuck at that part. 27. Number 27 was down. . . .

Yamamoto shook his head. Now wasn't the time. M.O.E. was in motion even at that second; he need get to moving. _'Oh _shit!' he thought. _'Please let us get through this alive!'_

* * *

**This chapter focused a lot on Yamamoto. Why? I don't know, I just like making dramatic things happed to him XD I hope he didn't come off as too OCC! I feel like his personality takes a bit of a darker turn in my stories, but that's mostly because I like him when he's serious. Tell me if you like it, ne?**

**I couldn't help the reference ether. I just had to. Anyone who can tell me what MOE means or where it's from gets a cookie. If they get it themselves, because I nether have cookies nor a way to give them to you. You just get internet cookies!**

**Anyone who wants to beta this just say so in a review please ;) ~Rose**


	3. Emergency Plans, Start

**Author's Note: This is set in their Junior year of High school. So Tsuna, Gokudera, and Takeshi are Juniors, and Ryohei and Hibari would be Seniors.**

**Diclaimer: I don't own KHR! Would I be writing a fanfic if I did?**

**Guys . . . GUYS, ****_no one _****knows that reference? It's not moe as in cute, those were the best guesses so far. This chapter gives some more hints.**

* * *

Chapter Three

Emergency Plans, Start

_M.O.E. was in motion even at that second, he need get to moving. 'Oh __**shit**__!' he thought, 'Please let us get through this alive!'_

Yamamoto Takeshi shook off his momentary panic. He took a step back, stashing away in the shadow cast by the small dugout. He whipped his phone out of his bag, finding the contact he was looking for. He quickly sent the message, '_Number 80, you may proceed,'_ to them and pocketed his phone. He had made sure to hide his number went it sent. A responding ringtone sounded in the crowd. The crowd's noise stopped, dead, as Osamu hesitantly opened a message on his phone.

"What does it say?" someone whispered.

"N-Number 80, you may proceed," Osamu read aloud.

Chaos erupted once again, accusations and questions being flung at the unsuspecting baseball player. Yamamoto decided now was a good time to make his appearance. "Maa, Maa, lets calm down!" he called.

A hush fell over them again as one of their leaders spoke. Takeshi smiled comfortingly at them. "Osamu, your Number 80?"

"N-No," he stuttered, confused and panicked. "I just got this text randomly."

"There was probably some kind of error then," Takeshi soothed, letting his influence as Rain Guardian effect the stressed team. "We should do as they said and head to the meeting point."

"But where's that?" someone shouted.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging, "but we can probably find it if we head for the school building. There's going to be other groups heading there too, so we'll probably run into them along the way."

The team calmed down, nodding and smiling; it made sense to follow this plan. Osamu was forced to lead, having received the message, and the rest of the people fell in behind him. Granted, a few players voiced doubt in the situation, saying that they didn't know who it was that on the speaker and that they had no idea what 'M.O.E.' meant. However, they were quickly shrugged off by the majority, who chose to follow the message, and they gradually became quiet since no one was listening.

_'Part one, success,'_ Yamamoto checked off, slipping back into the shadows, '_now for part two.'_

The Rain watched the team move away towards the school. Once they were gone, he came out of hiding and swiftly made his way into the dugout. Plopping his bag onto the bench, he quickly unzipped it. He took out a smaller case from within the bag, the case for Shigure Kintoki. The real sheath was inside this one; this being a simple, light green cloth bag with a sling. Attached to the side were two small pouches; one contained his Box weapon, the other a spare. He set the sheath's strap over his chest, zipped up his baseball bag, and hung it on one of the hooks on the wall.

Reassured, Yamamoto hurried back out of the dugout, reaching into his pocket. His fingers touched the cool metal of the Vongola Ring at the bottom. Nodding to himself, he quickly headed towards the small patch of trees. He would cross the stream that hid inside, over to the other sports fields, and send off any of the players that were still there – if the field was empty, it just made his job easier.

He wasn't more than five steps from the tree line when he was stopped. "Yamamoto-senpai?"

Takeshi froze. Slowly he turned around, wincing, towards the owner of the voice. Two of his teammates crested the hill. They stared straight at him, erasing any hope they hadn't seen him. They hustled over at a jog. Yamamoto did his best to cover his grimace, but only mustered a weak smile. Upon seeing it, the under classman only grew more worried.

"Yamamoto-senpai?" one questioned. "What are you doing? Are you alright?" He was only a freshman, and newbie on the team. The Rain had been working on getting them to a first name basis like what he had with the other players. The brunette was surprisingly steadfast about his use of honorifics. Despite his lanky frame, he was overall well-built and worked hard.

The other adored the same concerned expression on his face. His short dirty blonde hair framed his face, though most was hidden under the baseball cap he wore. He was shorter than his companion, but if memory served him right, the boy was actually a sophomore. He was polite enough around teachers, but acted similar to Yamamoto when he on break. He was friendly, though often suspicious of people, and nice enough once you got to know him. He had a bit of a lazy streak that could still use some work.

Yamamoto tried his best to reinforce his smile; these two were his favorite underclassmen. They were loyal to him when they divided the team for a spar and often hung around during or after practice. The brunette was named Nagista, and the blonde Jonah. They were both clever and offered all sorts of potential; they were of the few people who voiced doubt at the orders the team received earlier. Yamamoto had to be on his toes with these two around, lest he be dragged into a confrontation much like this one.

He was still formulating a cover story when Jonah spoke. "You know what's going on, don't you, Takeshi?" he accused. His sharp green eyes told Yamamoto that what Jonah had just said was a statement not a question. "You're Number 80, right? What's going on, what's M.O.E.?"

"I feel like I've heard that somewhere . . ." Nagista muttered, "M.O.E. . . ."

Takeshi gave up on his smile and allowed it to fade. He locked eyes with the shorter male. The blonde lifted his chin higher and set his mouth in a determined line. He wouldn't take back anything he said, he never did. His eyes gleamed with resolve and he didn't back down, even under his senior's intense stare. He had never been subjected to as searching a look as the one Takeshi gave and he felt his will waver ever so slightly.

When Jonah started to fear cracking, Yamamoto broke eye contact. He had to hold in a relieved sigh. The baseball star, surprisingly, laughed. "Maa, looks like I've been ratted out!" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, an embarrassed smile on his lips.

Nagista and Jonah exchanged startled looks. They hadn't expected for Yamamoto to admit to their accusations so quickly. Catching the looks, Takeshi simply smiled reassuringly.

"What, did you think being a student supervisor was something bad?" Takeshi chuckled. While they had actually been right to worry, it was amusing that they acted with such suspicion. It just goes to show: it doesn't take much to make students paranoid. "Geez guys, it's just an after school project!"

Nagista smiled and laughed along, self-conscious of how he had been so quick to be hostile. Jonah frowned at his teammates. He couldn't shake the feeling that the message was indeed an ominous warning, not just a notification. He listened to Nagista's and Takeshi's jovial conversation with deaf ears. Something just didn't feel right. '_M.O.E. . . . I know I've heard that somewhere!'_ Jonah growled to himself, '_Where was it? MOE . . . M. O. E. . . .'_

Something clicked suddenly and Jonah gasped. His eyes widened with realization. The older baseball player turned to him with a curious look, the younger following suit. "I remember where I've heard that!" Jonah yelled.

Yamamoto frowned and gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about, Jonah?"

Said boy's victorious smirk was replaced with a fearful expression. "Takeshi . . ." he said softly, slowly. "What is project M.O.E? What is it really?" he added when he saw his senior ready to give him the same explanation.

Yamamoto's frown deepened. His friend's worried expression was never good. Surely he couldn't have solved the code so quickly? He knew that the code 'M.O.E.' had actually come from a popular TV show, but he didn't think it was aired in Japan. If it was, then it at least wasn't very popular. But with Vongola's luck, Jonah would be one of the few who knew the reference.

"I remember it from something I watched once," the Rain took this chance to curse Lady Luck and wonder whatever he had done to be hated by her, "My friend showed it to me. We watched a couple episodes, but they had something like that in there . . ." Jonah swallowed hard and shared a nervous glance with Nagista. "The thing is . . . it was the code for an emergency."

Nagista gasped and his racing thoughts showed through his eyes. His mouth moved as he silently tried to work it out. Takeshi clenched his jaw and fisted his hands in his pockets. "Ah!" His eyes snapped to the freshman. He had already put the pieces together. "M. O. E." he spelt, "Mode of Emergency!" He turned his scared eyes towards the junior.

Takeshi had officially given up on any remaining attempts of deceiving the underclassmen. He bit his lip and refused to choose a spot to look at, eyes darting everywhere. He settled for the ground. He rocked nervously on his heels. This was _not_ part of the plan; they had expected people to figure out the situation, but not this soon! They should have at least gotten the groups into the gym before all hell broke out and the Guardians shouldn't have been caught in the crossfire. Well, the metaphorical kind at least.

"Hey! What is going on here?!" Jonah was quickly descending into panic and Nagista looked like he had been smacked with a fish. "Aren't you Number 80 or whatever?! Shouldn't you know?!" Yamamoto was considering knocking the two out at this point.

"Oh~? You are Number 80?" A singing voice interjected.

Takeshi stiffened, whipping around to face the new voice. A man flashily dressed in a grey suit walked towards them from across the outfield. He was smiling kindly, falsely, and his arms swung energetically at his sides like he had forgotten his age. He was easily in his late 20s – mid 30s.

"You are the one they called Number 80, yes?" he repeated. His eyes sparkled curiously, sending shivers up the Rain's spine. It wasn't the 'I-wonder-what-will-happen-if-I-put-Mentos-in-coke ' curious; it was the 'I-wonder-what-the-inside-of-this-person-would-lik e' curious. He stopped in front of the three teens, smile never leaving.

Yamamoto didn't move, nor respond. His eyes were cold and narrowed, and his lips were firmly set in a line. It couldn't be more obvious to him that this guy was enemy unless there had been a flashing neon sign above his head. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Oh, that's not very nice!" The man cried, faking hurt. Yamamoto was disturbingly reminded of Byukuran. The man smirked and his eyes flashed with a negative emotion Yamamoto couldn't place. "Didn't Vongola raise you with better manners than that?"

Takeshi stiffened for a half a second before he smiled again. Shadows from his hair hid his eyes from the light, and he straightened his posture. His lips were turned upwards in a small, soft smirk. He chuckled lightly, the abnormally happy sound foreign in the previously hostile air.

"I'm afraid I'm not too sure who you're talking about," he hummed, his hands relaxing into his pant pockets and swaying unworriedly on his feet. "Vongola? Doesn't ring a bell," the stranger's eyebrow noticeably twitched. The two younger teens sent their elder a concerned glance. "But you know; the people down at the office might know something." Takeshi finally looked up, brown eyes flashing dangerously. "Why don't you go ask them?" He finished with a polite little smile, just to rub salt in the wound.

The man was taken aback for a moment before he hardened his nerves. He smiled back at the boy, all manners and business façades. "That sounds like something I can work with ~!" he sang, "But I'm afraid I don't know the way," the man held out his hand invitingly, "won't you show me, please?"

Noises of disturbed branches and tree limbs much bigger then twigs being snapped resonated through the woods at the students' backs. The Rain snapped his head around in time to spot the hulking, dark figures emerge from the trees. Three in number; they shared the same small, round head and gas-mask like features atop a bulky mass called shoulders and a torso. '_Moscas',_ the Guardian thought, swearing under his breath – the robots quickly formed a barrier with them on three sides and Mr. Manners on the fourth. His thoughts raced before slowly calming again.

Takeshi smiled wider. He had heard it, the almost inaudible noise beneath the crashing. The other hadn't, or at least had not thought anything of it; a quick glance at his companions proved that. With the Rain's eye focused on the man in front of him again, he put forth his most charming face.

"Sure, Sure! Not a problem, I'm sure that the staff will be able to help you find . . ." Takeshi paused, hand moving to scratch the back of his head and eyes moving to the leaves. "I'm sorry, who was it you're looking for again?" His fingers slowly slid through his spiky black locks, abandoning them once they reached his neck. He felt the reassuring touch of fabric brush against them. He turned back to the unsuspecting enemy.

The stranger grinned victoriously. "My, so helpful! Yes, I was looking for someone, or rather a group. I'm afraid I can tell you much about them, but they were called _Vongola,_" the man's eyes sharpened, and he snapped his fingers. "But I believe _you_ could tell us quite a bit!" He lunged forward, arms outstretched to grab the teen.

The Guardian was much faster, however. Light on his feet, he grabbed both underclassmen's sleeves, yanking them forward before they could comprehend the situation. The Moscas were in motion, arms swinging up to block the field in front of them. Yamamoto never paused, rushing towards the machines regardless. He ignored the others' shouting in his ears, the adrenaline burning in his vein making it harder due to heightened senses. Throwing his legs in front of him, he slid under the groping appendages, baseball style.

The other two weren't so approving of being dragged by their senior through the dirt. The learned to shake it off quick though, reacting quickly when they saw Takeshi jump back to his feet. They scrambled up, confused and bewildered but standing steady behind their friend. They watched him curiously as he swung the green parcel over his shoulder, and off his back, gripping it tightly in one hand by his side. The lumbering bodies were following after them, speed increasing dramatically has they continued to move. The strange man in the suit was left in the middle to brush himself off after his fall, hissing and spitting insults.

Jonah snapped his attention back to Takeshi as he began to move. He motion for them to follow, sprinting off to the side. In the back of his mind he was glad they were no longer being forcefully pulled along, though the feeling didn't last. As though jinxed, Yamamoto grabbed hold of his shirt once again, flinging them to the ground. He wondered briefly why before he threw his arms over his head as a huge explosion burst into existence. It ripped through the air, making his head ring and earth went flying.

He was jerked upright again by his upperclassman, Takeshi's gritting his teeth together and shoving them towards the trees. He caught a glimpse of red before the teen was behind him again urging him and Nagista forward. He still couldn't hear, head full of the blaring of the explosion.

It was until he reached the tree line that he realized he had lost the hand on his back, skidding to a halt and whipping around. He spotted Takeshi right behind him, his back to him. His face was distorted into a snarl, looking so unnatural yet frightening on his features. The elder baseball player noticed that he had stopped, eyes shifting from him back to the flaming wreckage. They turned back to him full of alarm, and Jonah felt panic shove it's was back up his throat. Muffled sound trickled back to his ears, horrible noise he couldn't make sense of. Takeshi was suddenly in front of him, one hand on his shoulder, the other forcing something in to his hands. Over his shoulder Jonah make out a dark figure shuffling towards them before a bright blue light block it out again. He closed his eyes against the flash. He felt his chin being grabbed and his head forced to the front again. He squinted his eyes at Takeshi, seeing his mouth move. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something black launch towards them. He felt himself being shoved, faltering back and twisting to catch himself instinctively. He squeezed the object in his hand clutching to it doggedly, even though he didn't know what it was. He pushed to his feet, moving before he understood what was going on around him.

In his muddled mind, Takeshi's words finally hit home, whispering "**_Run!"_** that, after a few seconds, he realized had been yelled, screamed. While he had been figuring this out, his legs had already started moving, sprinting after Nagista and deeper into the woods.

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**Not important just me talking:**

**Trololololol, yes I'm ending it there XD Anyone recognize MOE yet? No Tsuna this chapter, just a frustrated Yamamoto :P The teammates aren't really meant to be OCs, I mean technically they are, but it's just to push the plot along. If you still feel like there is too much involvement with them then, well, either tough it out or turn around now. There will be a lot of these little 'push' characters around. Uhhhhmmm, sorry for how horrible or choppy that middle part issssss, I rewrote it, like, 10 times. Anywho, review if you enjoyed it even just a little~**


	4. From Bad to Hell

**Hey guys, I hope you didn't think I was dead because I wasn't replying to stuff! In all honestly, I almost was. I got in an accident on July 6th, and was shifting between hospitals and home and check-ups for three weeks. Anywho, I rushed to get this chapter done so I could tell you guys about it. My right humorous (upper arm) is broken, and I cracked a vertebrae in my neck. I'll heal completely though, and am very, very lucky. If you want more details, I urge you to look to my profile, or PM me. The point is, with all the stuff going on, my time for writing is few and far between. With such a hectic schedule, I just don't have much motivation or time. I hope you guys understand, and will work with me here. I am by no means dropping any of my stories, but am simply asking for you to be patient with me. Thank you. ~Rose**

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Chapter Four

From Bad to Hell

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_While he had been figuring this out, his legs had already started moving, sprinting after Nagista and deeper into the woods._

* * *

Gokudera stared at the chalkboard mounted on the wall, wondering why, for the love of all things lovable, _the hell_ he was here. Nerdy children bustled around him, checking flasks and test tubes that were scattered across several lab tables. A few were shuffling through the papers shoved inside folder pockets, like office ladies. They ran to and fro, handing people papers and relaying messages. They occasionally came close to him, shyly inching closer and asking if he needed anything. He drove them off quickly – though they were squealing and making annoying sounds as they fled, red faced.

His eyes flicked to the tabletop as a cream paper folder was slapped upon it, then up to the person in front of him. A raven-haired male stood courageously before him, said messy hair pushed back by a pair of lab goggles. A heavy black apron covered his uniform, and his blue eyes sparkled with amusement. They scanned over him, taking note of Gokudera's bored expression as well as the hands pushing into the cheeks, supported by the elbows on the table. He put a gloved finger on the file, pushing it forward as he leaned closer, tucking his other arm behind his back.

"You look bored," He commented, glancing at the folder and back up. "I bet you want to be doing something . . . don't you~?" He nudged the file into Gokudera's arm 'discretely'. He stared right into those emerald eyes as he continued to tap the papers against his classmate's arm.

After a while of Gokudera staring and telepathically sending the message, **_'You're not subtle, go the fuck away,'_** and the boy, sadly, not receiving it, he sighed and pressed his hand to his eyes. "No, Josh, I'm _not_ going to do on _your_ work, and what I _want_ is to go home," he growled.

The teen, newly dubbed Josh, pouted and wisely stepped out of Gokudera's personal space. "It's not _my_ work," he explained "It's just work that needs to get done by someone." He let his gaze roam the room, slowly making his way back to the silver-haired teen. "By someone smart," he added, tugging out the nearest stool and dragging it closer. Gokudera's eye twitched at the sound of metal on concrete. Josh's face was set in a frown. "And we both know it's no secret how smart you are, Gokudera. We need to get this done, and no one can figure it out. You're the top of the class; I kind of doubt you even need to be here," a smile broke out again and Josh shrugged – being serious was hard! "If anyone can solve it, it's you!" As is tired after that massive attempt at being somber, he allowed himself to slide against the lab table, hiding his nose behind his arms as he looked up.

Gokudera was back to his original position, frowning down at his classmate. His green eyes were cool, showing neither emotion nor harshness. "No," he said simply. Josh made a whinny noise in the back of his throat, disappointment showing in his features. The other's eye twitched again, a bit of annoyance blooming in those orbs before cutting off again.

Josh continued to stare at the teen, puzzled. He couldn't understand why the silver-haired teen refused to do anything, even though he was stuck there for another hour. It was logical that, even though unwilling, if you should go somewhere, it was to do something. Josh would admit that it had taken a lot of effort and underhanded tricks to drag Gokudera here, effort he usually would not expend on such a thing. He wasn't lazy, he simply didn't put extra effort into things he didn't like to do. Still, Gokudera's behavior over the years had always been curious to him. He had studied him and his group of friends before, and he found again and again that he would not normally fit into said group. The two others had opposing personalities to his, both Sawada Tsunayoshi and Yamamoto Takeshi being very pleasant people.

Yamamoto was a constantly grinning person, bubbly and had an infectious laugh. Josh liked this one himself, they got along well. But he noticed that Gokudera didn't. The two constantly quarreled, albeit one-sidedly. He was constantly at Yamamoto's throat, though Josh had noticed a few times that worked well together, when pressed far enough. Why they were always near each other, however, was a mystery to Josh.

Tsunayoshi was a different story. Gokudera seemed to be so very fond of him, dotting on him at times and protective. But Tsunayoshi was a weakling; people who were usually ignored or thrashed by the upstart. Why they would ever be friends was an enigma in itself; it made Josh wonder how they had met. He hadn't been in the same middle school as them, but even the students who had didn't know. The only explanation he had received was that the two suddenly came to school one day as the best of friends. He had also heard stories of Tsunayoshi's nickname, Dame-Tsuna, and had been regaled with many a tale. However, from what he had observed, Sawada really wasn't that bad. He had noted on several occasions the brunet was very polite and shy around kids bigger than him, but he didn't mess up nearly as much as in the past. Josh couldn't make heads or tails of them.

Gokudera watched his classmate get lost in thought, glad for the silence. He waved his hand in front of the boy's face, just for the hell of it. When Josh didn't respond, he sighed softly, returning his fist to his cheek to rest on. He found the teen annoying, but per Reborn's orders didn't mess with him. The baby had said Josh showed 'potential' and warned the bomber about scaring him off. The order had naturally irked him, but he knew better than quarrel with the Acrobaleno and he himself had seen Josh's skills firsthand. The kid wasn't as smart as him, obviously, but he still stood above the rest of the class and had a very excepting nature. Someone so flexible would be useful to have in their science or tech departments at Vongola.

Since he didn't want to bother Tsuna with his own problems – and since neither Reborn nor Gokudera wanted to tell him they were planning to drag a classmate into the mafia – he dealt with the annoyance the best way he knew how, ignoring him. Sadly this hadn't worked well, for when the raven-haired boy learned he could get close without Gokudera going off, he lingered like a shadow. To say it bothered the Smoking Bomb was an understatement. He had long since given up on this approach, but had recently found out that being negative eventually wore down on Josh's chipper attitude. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it helped him to cope. Gokudera almost wished they could go back to freshman year, when Josh had yet to discover them.

A sigh escaped his lips before Gokudera could stop it. Freshman year . . . they were juniors now, but they're first year of high school seemed closer to eight years past, not three. Middle school had trained them for the Mafia, and Tsuna had officially become Decimo that first year. It was a constant battle to remain undercover and to keep the mafia away from Namimori. As right-hand man, Gokudera helped were he could, but he knew that Tsuna carried the biggest burden among them. Their leader shielded those around him best he could, and they knew it. He refused to let them help with paper work – though Gokudera would often keep certain papers from his boss with this in mind – and oversaw that the Guardians always rotated shifts while on sentry duty, that everyone slept and ate. His personal care was second to theirs, which was a constant source of anxiety for Gokudera.

A tap on his shoulder brought the silver-haired teen out of his thoughts. He glared through the fingers that had habitually covered his eyes at the one bold enough to disturb him. The culprit was none other than, _surprise_, Josh.

"_What,"_ Gokudera ground out. He wasn't in the mood to be bugged; he was surrounded by innocents and they wouldn't withstand the blow he was itching to give out.

Josh frowned deeply, humor the last thing on his mind. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern ringing true in his voice. He had seen his classmate with a variety of expressions, but this one seemed particularly troubling. Whatever was on the teen's mind was something that Josh knew shouldn't be left to the imagination.

The worried tone was not wasted on Gokudera. His sharp ears picked it out immediately, and the sincerity was enough to make him pause with scathing retort still on his lips. He scanned over Josh's grim expression and was slightly surprised to see - or rather _not_ see - that the sparkle of laughter was absent from those aqua eyes. He blinked as the information processed in his mind.

"Yeah, just fine." The storm cursed himself for the soft tone that came out instead of the anger it was meant to convey. Josh just barely caught his words, though alarm sprang to his features at how weak they sounded. The bomber could already feel the oncoming headache from the flood of harassment that was sure to come.

"Gokudera -" Josh started. He wasn't in the mood to listen though, pushing his seat back and standing. "Gokudera-!" He ignored his classmate again in favor of stomping to the door. He didn't get far; the same time his fingers touched the cool metal of the door handle, static rang throughout the room.

All activity ceased in the lab; people freezing where they stood and listening to the message with curious expressions. Gokudera didn't notice them at all though, his rapt attention purely on the words cackling over the intercom. His mind shut down momentarily as the last sentences came through before moving at a million miles per hour.

27 was down. Tsuna - Tsuna was hurt. He need to be there, his boss was wounded on the field in a high security lock down. He needed to get to where Tsuna was - the meeting point. But he had a job to do first. Gokudera quickly repeated the message in his mind: _"Number 59; please guide your group to the meeting point."_ The secret meanings translated automatically in his head. 59 was his assigned number. 'Guide' was used in his instructions rather than 'clear' or 'send' which meant he was to accompany his group of students to the meeting point and stay with them there. The meeting point was predetermined – the gym.

Gokudera released his fingers from their clenched position by his side. He vaguely processed that Josh was trying to talk to him, but shoved past and ran to the door in back. One hand flipped the simple turn lock, while the other threw the bolt. The bomber spun on his heel only to find Josh blocking his path, all eyes on them.

"Gokudera, you know what's going on?" Josh questioned, voice level.

"Yes," he answered, eye twitching at being stopped. He needed to move - Tsuna needed him . . . !

"Why," Josh all but demanded, "what's going on, and why are you locking the door?"

Gokudera didn't even try to hide the groan that pushed its way up his throat. He did not have time for this! "59; M.O.E.; and because you might try to go out it otherwise," he answered cryptically. Josh was smart, he could figure it out. Gokudera slipped around him again, throwing open the closest window. Sticking his head out, he checked all directions before slamming it closed again. He spared the confused students not a glance as he stormed over to the hallway door for a second time. "Hurry up, follow me!"

Josh was the first to dart after his classmate; however, he stopped in the doorway. "Come on guys!" He rallied, "There's something going on, and isn't it our job to figure out how and why stuff works?" Most of the kids grinned at that, a few laughing, and they all streamed out the door after the two leading teens. A clump in back grumbled at first, but gave in rather than being left alone.

Josh sprinted to catch up to the Strom, keeping up a swift pace next to him. "59," he panted, "One of the numbers listed for the 'student supervisors' - yours?" He took Gokudera's silence as an okay to go on. "M.O.E., the project thing from the announcement, that doesn't actually say much about the situation! You were locking the door so we can't leave out it; which says that you need us to follow - presumably for this 'M.O.E.' thing, which you are student supervisor 59 for. Did I miss something?"

Gokudera skidded to a halt in front of another door, pausing to glare at Josh. "Good," he muttered, more to himself then to his classmate. Without missing a beat, he kicked open the door, multiple startled shrieks coming from inside. Math-letes were jumping and falling from their desks at a fascinating rate, much faster than they ever moved in gym class. Gokudera ignored all of that, repeating his commands from the doorway. With multiple shouts of "Shut up and move" at their backs, the math club was herded into the hallway with the science club. Gokudera made one last scan of the classroom before charging through the crowd and moving on.

Josh hung back and watched the way the silverette led the confused student body forward. He drove them on by manipulating their muddled state, allowing them to follow blindly. When a student would drift out of line he noticed quickly and looped around to fix the problem. Josh was questionable about his use of force, but had to admit that he got the job done, and well at that. Deciding to help, Josh urged another classmate into line, flashing Gokudera a grin when he detected the aid. The two had a silent stare down before Gokudera simply nodded and turned back to guiding the children. It was true that Josh had no idea where he was leading them, or for what purpose, but he trusted him to get them there.

Up front, Gokudera didn't have time to puzzle over his classmate's sudden assistance. It took a hardy amount of self-restraint to not force the other students to sprint to reach the gym faster. He was sick with worry; his precious boss could be completely unguarded right now. He found himself hoping that one of the other Guardians had reached the meeting point before him. Even if it wasn't him, he could rest a little easier if he knew someone strong stood next to the Sky. Of course, he would be beside them in the blink of an eye anyway, but that wasn't the point.

The Guardian's heart rate picked up as he rounded the last corner, metal double doors waiting at the end of the corridor. Unable to resist, Gokudera ignored the startled cries of the students behind him and ran the last of the distance. Bursting through with a crash, emerald eyes filtered through the milling bodies for a familiar cropping of chocolate hair. He grimaced and started shoving through the crowd, still ignoring his own group. Where was he? Pushing down the lump in his throat, he pressed on, nudging other teens out of the way or skating around them.

After another good five minutes of searching, Gokudera picked out a voice that rose slightly above the noise of the gym. Stopping to listen, he tracked the steadily growing voice until he confronted the one it belonged to. They noticed each other at the same time, freezing in their conversation. Gokudera felt hopeful that, out of the all the Guardians to beat him, at least it was the Sun.

"Oi!" he jogged up to the boxer, eyes still flicking from face to face. "Where's Juudaime?"

Ryohei's normally energetic attitude was already strained; those who knew him well enough could pick out the tension in his muscles that betrayed his façade. His grin faltered at the Storm's exclamation. "You _extremely_ don't know?"

"What? Where is he?!" Gokudera felt panic seize his heart. "What did I miss?"

Ryohei stared back at the Strom, dread cracking the mask he wore for the students. "He wasn't here when I got here. I _extremely_ hoped he was with you or one of the others!"

Gokudera felt the world around him still, the words sinking in. His jaw went slack and the floor tilted. Flipping around, he dashed to the exit leading to outside. As an afterthought, he yelled to the boxer over his shoulder, "Stay here and getready for trouble!_"_


	5. Falling like Flies

Minor warning for cussing *coughcoughgokuderacough*

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Chapter Five

Falling Like Flies

_Flipping around, he dashed to the exit leading to outside. As an afterthought, he yelled to the boxer over his shoulder, "Stay here and get ready for trouble!"_

Ryohei didn't have much difficulty getting his job done. He was with his boxing club in the 'spare gym' that was really just a large room converted for the martial arts clubs. The message had been unnecessarily loud, due to the number of speakers in the room. Regardless, the message had caused enough chaos for him to slip away undetected.

His instructions had told him to 'clear the area' before he could 'guide' his group to the meeting point. Keeping this in mind, he left his club members behind as he started going through the nearest rooms. First he checked the weights room, where an after-school class was sometimes held for extra credit. Luckily, the class had been canceled when the teachers left, so the room was abandoned. Both locker rooms where also empty when he entered; the offices in the corner already locked. For good measure, he peeked in the storage room too, but didn't expect to see anything, and nothing noteworthy he saw. Satisfied that the hallways were empty, he returned to his friends to find the situation crumbling even faster than when he had left.

A few male boxers were drifting towards a fight with another boy from the kendo club, sneers and insults being exchanged. A girl from karate had climbed the shelves where they kept supplies on-hand and was quietly watching from her vantage point. Some guys had found it a good idea to tease a girl skilled in kickboxing, and Ryohei had to wince when her heel connected with one of their stomachs. The Sun quickly intervened between the closest fight, catching a fist in both hands. A scowl was enough to send the offenders scrabbling back in line.

Nodding approval, Ryohei ducked under the ropes walls of the boxing ring. Standing tall in the center, he gave the various clubs a chance to quiet down. The noise level noticeably went down a notch, but the roar continued on without much more acknowledgement.

"**_Oi!"_** Ryohei roared, his voice easily cutting through the rest. The fighting stilled and the teens turned guilty eyes towards him, looking like children about to get scolded. He frowned back at them, a disappointed sigh passing his lips. For the sake of time lost clearing the area, he decided to skip the lecture and get them moving. Nobody wanted to question him when he directed them to the gym – they simply sulked along.

How is that relatively simple, you ask? When you're a Vongola Guardian, whenever something _doesn't_ go wrong or explode, it's a miracle. Ryohei's luck seemed to be thinning quickly, however. The students were by every means bored, and milling around in the gym wasn't exactly appealing. He could pick out several other club leaders working up the courage to question him, and another few hanging around the doors. He needed a distraction, and he needed it to happen soon.

"Hey -" Too late, "what're we doing here?" The Sun turned to face the voice when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He smiled when he discovered that it wasn't the other activity leaders that confronted him, but one of his fellow boxers. She was a friend of his; a hard worker and plenty of enthusiasm. She was one of the first to join when he had started his 'club.' Her name was Mai – befitting of one who moved so gracefully, even in the ring. Ryohei grimaced mentally. She may be a friend, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to drill him for answers.

"Mai!" he greeted with a smile, "What is _extremely_ up?"

The other boxer continued to frown. "You're avoiding the question."

"Which was?" Despite himself, a twinge of nervousness could be found in his laugh.

"What are we doing here, and what's going on?"

Ryohei filtered through all the possible excuses he could give her. It wasn't as if he could deny that he knew - he was the one who led them here. Still, Mai had known him for four years; she couldn't be fooled as easily as the rest. Recalling past lessons, he kept up his cheerful front and laughed off the question. "We're _extremely_ doing what it said to do on the intercom!"

Mai's scowl deepened, and before she could express her discontent, another student had intervened. Ryohei gave a quick apology and was gone before she could object. Mai puffed out her cheeks, took a deep breath, and made a quick decision to give chase. She wouldn't give up that easily – she couldn't call herself a fighter if she gave up after only one hit!

Saying Ryohei was hard to follow would be an understatement. Mai had lost him from the start, and was left standing in the middle of a crowd. In the back of her mind, she knew there wasn't _that_ many students in the gym, and finding Ryohei couldn't be _that hard_, but she ignored it because it was very _wrong._ Her agitation was spiking by the second, and the first thing she would do when she found him would be to punch him. In the corner of her eye, she caught the flash of white hair. She spun around with a victorious feeling in her gut, only to be blindsided. He wasn't there.

The female boxer frowned at the empty spot. She had saw that unmistakable white hair, she knew she did! He had to be close by. . . . Taking off with renewed energy, she headed in the direction that she thought Ryohei had been going. She was rewarded by a glimpse of a bright yellow shirt and it was gone again. Focusing only on her prey, she unhesitatingly charged after her only lead. It went on and on like this for a long while, Mai getting hints of the captain's location, but never catching up and never trapping him. An abnormally loud voice; a brief look at a drawstring bag, clutched in a bandage-wrapped fist; blaring yellows flickering in the peripherals - only little things, but each one screamed 'Ryohei was here' in her face.

A sudden '_BANG!'_ caught her attention, and while she knew it might cost her quarry, she decided to investigate. She quickly discovered that the source of the sound had been the hallway doors hitting the wall, having been flung open by a sliver haired teen. She recognized him as one of Ryohei's closer friends – closer than her, she thought, slightly bitter – and had always pegged him as a bad-attitude trouble maker. What was his name . . . Gokudera? She noticed the way his actions seemed frantic, and judging from the way he was scanning the crowd, he was looking for someone.

The teen was gone almost as fast as he had appeared. Replacing him was a black-haired junior that she didn't know, who yelled after Gokudera. Behind him milled a horde of students, muttering in confusion, who lingered in the doorway like they were uninvited guests. She was tempted to go over and help, but someone beat her to it. None other than the one she had been searching for, Ryohei practically materialized out of the bodies, heading over to the new group.

Consequentially, he only had time to tell them they were to stay in here before Mai shoved him over. She had to give him credit, he upheld his reputation for being impossible to surprise. Even though he was knocked over, he managed to catch her other wrist mid-punch, and rolled back to his feet in record time.

He gave her an odd look, seemingly saying '_Are you sure you're not insane?'_ before returning to his explanation to the black-haired junior. He nodded and went to repeat the instructions to his entourage, and Ryohei finally gave her his attention. Mai glared at him for a good couple minutes before speaking.

"Well?" she prompted.

"Well . . . what?" the boxing captain returned, frowning.

"Are you going to apologize?" He blinked and offered a blank expression. "For ditching me back there! You just ran off - I wasn't done talking to you!" He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "Don't you give me an excuse! You're going to explain, and you're going to do so _right now!_ No more interruptions!"

Ryohei swallowed hard, and stood stiffly. It was easy to miss; invisible to those who didn't know him. Even Mai almost missed the slightest bit of tension in the way he squared his shoulders. Almost. It immediately put her on edge, and her mouth went dry – Ryohei was loud, proud, and didn't back down, anything that might scare him would terrify her. The guy probably wouldn't double think about going a round with a bear – he was insane. It wasn't hard for her to figure out something _seriously _dangerous was going on. She could only hope that it didn't involve them.

For whatever reason, fate just didn't want her to get an answer. While Ryohei was stumbling over his words, his eyes connected with someone, and he stopped dead. Mai glanced behind her, confused and slightly agitated, and quickly back-stepped to avoid being hit in the face. The silver-haired teen from earlier roughly moved past her and all but sprinted to Ryohei. The female boxer snarled, but it had no effected.

"Oi! Where's Jyudaime?!"

Mai thought for minute that he had been talking to her, but dismissed it. Ryohei's smile faltered. "You _extremely_ don't know?" Mai's eyes flicked between the two people, trying to follow the conversation. She didn't know who they were discussing, but she could sense the urgency in their voices. She shifted nervously. Ryohei wasn't smiling anymore – that was never a good sign.

"I _extremely_ hoped he was with you or one of the others!"

Her attention snapped back to the conversation. She had missed part, but she pieced it together pretty well. Mai could see the panic and desperation that shone in Gokudera's eyes when he suddenly bolted past her. She glanced back, and her mouth went dry as she saw the same emotions reflected on her captain's face. He recomposed himself a second later; the only hint that there was anything the matter was the hard glint in his eyes, and the smile that ever-so-slightly resembled a grimace.

Almost as an afterthought, the departing teen yelled over his shoulder something about trouble. Ryohei raised a hand to show he heard, and swiftly turned and headed in the other direction. Mai was torn between following and not wanting to be involved. A movement in her peripherals brought her attention to the dark-haired youth from earlier. He had noticed Gokudera run off, and slipped through the doors that said teen had gone through.

Perhaps it was a bad example to judge from, but Mai hardened her resolve and dashed after the other boxer. Ryohei had been her friend for a long time, and she wasn't about to let him go off and do something stupid on his own. She doubted she would be able to stop him, but he wouldn't be able to stop her either.

Gokudera tried, in vain, to remain calm. Tsuna wasn't where they thought he was, but that didn't mean he was missing . . . right? Despite all the plans that the Vongola had made, the Storm knew they would all fail if the Tenth wasn't there to lead. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the problem, but he'd be dead before he stopped searching for his precious friend.

He was currently running to the sports fields. If he was searching, then he might as well start with his fellow Guardians, and do his assigned job while he was at it. He knew that the Rain was mostly like to be with the brunette if neither he nor Ryohei were.

It didn't take long before he spotted a mass of white and blue uniforms crest the hill. He immediately pegged them as the baseball team. He already knew that Yamamoto wasn't among them, so he simply continued past them, ducking into the thin cover of the trees. Farther along, he slowed to a halt when he could see the baseball diamond. He frowned when he saw the Rain and two younger students were being stalled by a well-dressed man. The out-of-place suit screamed '_Mafia_' in the bomber's mind.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed a nearby branch and used it to climb up the nearest tree. Their conversation was barely audible above the rustling of leaves, but it was enough to know that the situation spelled disaster. A heavy "_CRACK!"_ revealed the location of a bulky machine, coming from a thick hand that snapped a tree limb like it was a twig. The Mosca lumbered forward, directly beneath the hidden Gokudera. He covered his mouth in a desperate attempt to quiet his breathing, and scooted a litter farther into the foliage. He waited with bated breath until the thing had passed, but he wasn't out of the clear. Yamamoto's group was being encircled, and the robot still had the chance to detect his Storm flame.

Gokudera bit his bottom lip as he thought. He could try to activate a flame, with the chance that a Mosca could notice him, but also give Yamamoto a hint he was here. He couldn't risk it. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette and lighter with a grin. He popped it into his mouth, igniting the tip. He had to time this perfectly, so nothing seemed out of place. The third Mosca was nearing the edge of the brush, and the other two were already out. As it flattened a sizable bush, the Smoking Bomb did what he did best. With a flick of his fingers, a small fire-cracker was tumbling through the air. It bounced once, and then snapped to life, cracking and sputtering loudly. It sizzled back into a silent ember as the machine cleared the last obstacle, and took its place next to its clones.

Gokudera knew the idiot had heard it from the grin he wore. His own smile graced his lips, and he waited with a critical eye for his chance. One hand crept back into one of his numerous pockets, and slowly pulled out a small box. The Mafia man snapped his fingers, and Gokudera lit his ring. A Storm flame flickered, and opened the box weapon with a swipe of the hand. Flame Arrow roared, bellowing red fire to greet the eyes that turned to it. Gokudera gave an innocent smile to his victims; right before he shot a bomb towards the group. It hit the Mosca in the middle dead-on, and it exploded in fiery glory.

He didn't have time to check the results. His boots connected with the earth, and he took off, heading diagonally so he would intercept Yamamoto. He doubted that his attack would take down all three Moscas, but he held out hope that it would at least damage any survivors. He knew for sure that the one he hit was toast, and another was close enough it was probably gone, but knowing how durable those things were. . . .

Gokudera slowed to a walk, panting. He frowned at the glow filtering through the trees. He should have met up with that idiot by now. The math solved itself in his head for a second time – he was sure that it was right. Even giving leeway for speed differences, Yamamoto would have reached this point by now. Unless the other kids were slowing him down. He shook his head; no, even though they wouldn't be as fast as the Rain, they _were_ baseball players and would have had to reach a speed that matched Yamamoto's minimum. Something must have happened.

He clipped a round of Sun flame-infused bullets into his gun. He didn't care for baseball-idiots, but an ally was an ally, and if there was one thing Tsuna had taught him, it was that you helped your friends when it mattered most. It didn't take long before he heard shouting. It was the young brunette from earlier; he had halted and was yelling back to someone. A few seconds later, the blonde tumbled out of the brush.

Gokudera jogged over to them. "Oi!" Their heads snapped towards him so fast he had to suppress a wince. They eyed the thing on his arm with fear, but looked hopeful at the school uniform. "Where's Yamamoto? He was with you just a minute ago."

The two boys shared a look, and scooted closer together. Their bodies were tense and ready to run again, arms hidden behind them. "Who are you?" the blonde questioned boldly, lifting his chin a little in defiance.

"_Tch,_" Gokudera could appreciate the boy's spunk, but it wasn't really the time. "Gokudera Hayato – Yamamoto's friend. And before you start barking at me, how about a thank you for saving your asses?"

Surprise made the blonde's eyes go wide. "That was you? _You_ set off that explosion?"

Gokudera rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, head tilted to the sky. "No shit, Sherlock. Now, before you ask any more stupid questions, could _someone_ tell me where Yamamoto is?!"

The baseball players gulped and exchanged another glance. The blonde hesitantly stepped forward, bring up the object he'd been hiding behind his back. Gokudera made a strangled sound when he saw it. The boys showed alarm at the reaction before the elder snatch the parcel away from them.

"Let me be wrong, let me be _wrong_," the bomber whispered, panic lacing his words. The soft, light green fabric was dirty, and one corner was slightly singed. It was long, narrow, sack-like case, with a button on the top that held the flap closed. He flipped it open with shaky hands. The fabric slid to the ground and left him with a wooden katana. The kendo sword was unscratched, the pale wood reflecting the red glow of the flames. Gokudera's mouth went dry. Frantic, he scooped the case from the dirt and tore open the two pockets on the sides. Both empty.

Gokudera stared at the sword in his hands. He slowly moved to cover his eyes with one, the other arm folding across his chest. The two boys looked at him in a mixture of horror and fear, waiting for something to happen. They jumped a little when the silver-haired teen finally spoke.

"_That . . ."_ he all but whispered, "_IDIOT!"_

They inched back from the waves of rage that their senior was radiating. It was true that they didn't know what was in the case when it had been given to them, and they didn't understand its importance, but it would take a moron to not understand that it was _not_ good.

"You," The baseball players jumped at being addressed so suddenly. "What're your names?"

"I'm Jonah," the blonde replied, "and he's Nagista. We are Takeshi's teammates. He gave me that," he gestured to the kendo sword, "and told me run."

Gokudera tapped his foot lightly, never uncovering his eyes. He took a deep breath, and sighed. He paced back and forth, indecision in each step. The boys watched quietly, or curiously in Jonah's case, and let the student walk – it would be unwise to stop him. They slightly recognized the name, but it had been a gamble that they were still hoping paid off.

The bomber let the hand slid off his face at last, eyeing the freshman and sophomore. "Okay, you'll come with me for now. I'll take you back to the meeting point – where you _should have been _from the beginning." He turned and motioned for the teens to follow.

The two reluctantly obeyed, moving closer together as they walked. "Jonah, do you think we can trust him? Maybe we should make a run for it."

Jonah could hear the fear compiling in his fellow's whisper. He stayed silent for a few seconds, before replying in an equally quiet voice, "I don't think so. I'm not sure if he's on our side, but he has that thing on his arm that's probably a weapon. If he set off that explosion, then you think we seem like a challenge? It's loaded from what I can tell, and I doubt we'll out run anything he can fire. Maybe we'll get some answers if follow along. Until we figure out what happened to Takeshi, and where he is, we can't do anything risky."

"Strategizing?" Gokudera chuckled suddenly. The captives were struck with terror; he was several feet ahead and they were whispering, how had he heard? He glanced over his shoulder to smirk at them. "What, you thought I couldn't hear? You're going to have to be farther away than that if you don't want me to know what you are saying. It doesn't really matter though; I'm not going to do anything to do anything to you. I have bigger problems than you two."

"Like what?" Jonah asked in a spurt of confidence, jogging forward so he walked directly behind him. "Those things back there? What were they?"

Gokudera frowned. He crossed his arms behind his head, showing off his still burning weapon, and focused on the path ahead of him. "None of your business; anyone teach you to not get involved in other peoples' problems?"

"But it's our problem too!" Jonah cut in front of him, blocking the path. His face was set with determination. "Those guys attacked us back there, and Takeshi is missing. I'll be dead before you stop me from helping the friend who saved me."

Gokudera stared in slight apprehension at the sophomore. He then snorted and forcibly shoved past him, knocking him the ground in the process. "Stay out of it, kid. You're better off staying with the other students in the gym."

The blonde would not be silenced so easily, jumping back up stubbornly. He kept pace, which subtlety was increasing the more agitated the elder became, and fixed Gokudera with a glare. "Kid? Don't treat me like I'm some lost child! You're only one year older than me! You're still a kid yourself! And you won't stop me from finding Takeshi!"

The Storm stopped, and fixed Jonah with cold emerald eyes. "You think that he would want you to get killed looking for him?" he asked rhetorically. Jonah held his gaze for a little longer before gritting his teeth and looking to the ground. Gokudera nodded, and started walking again – they were nearing the school. "For the record, I'm not a kid," he added in a quitter tone.

Jonah regained a bit of light in his eyes. His curiosity was building again. Before he could bother Gokudera some more, another beat him to it.

_"Gokudera!"_

Said teen jumped and pointed Flame Arrow in the face of the speaker. A black-haired head was peeking out of the near-by brush. He squeaked at the skull in his face, ducking back into the shelter. The foliage rustled a bit, some curses mumbled, and out stepped the raven-haired, tall boy, with startlingly blue eyes. He grinned and laughed nervously, doing a little wave. "H-Hey buddy. You, ah, want to point that somewhere else?"

Gokudera stared in confusion, never lowering his weapon. He ran his eyes over every detail skeptically; he didn't trust this not to be an illusion made by Mist flame. He took a step forward, until the open-mouthed skull was pointed right at the soft flesh under the chin. The teen stammered, but didn't dare move. Gokudera narrowed his eyes, and with no hesitation, stomped on his foot.

"_OW!"_ he howled, hoping on foot, clutching the other in his hands.

Gokudera stepped back and watched with a satisfied smirk. "He's real," he declared.

"Of course I'm real! What the hell, Gokudera?! Were you trying to break my toes?"

The bomber snorted and crossed him arms. "If I had wanted to break your toes, they would be broken." He glanced back at his charges and started to walk again, grabbing the new arrival's arm and dragging him with them. "More importantly, what the hell are _you _doing here, Josh? I left you in the gym."

"I noticed," Josh smiled wryly, "Thanks for telling me what was going on, by the way. Really appreciate it. A senior told me to stay in the gym, and then I saw you leave, so I followed and, _oh my Josh_, dude, _what is on your arm?"_

Gokudera pinched his nose again, squeezing his eyes shut. "Josh, when you are told to stay in the gym, you're supposed to _stay _in the_ fucking gym!"_

Josh was unbothered by the swearing, opting instead to grab hold of his "friend's" arm and inspecting the device on it. "Dude, this is awesome! Did you make this? Is that real fire? _Hot!_ Yeah, okay it is. Judging from the design, it's a type of gun, or crossbow, right? I didn't know you could shoot! This thing is _bad ass_; really, you have to tell me how you got it. The fire power has got to be huge, but how's the distance? What type of bullets do you even put it? Oh, wait, are these machine gun bullets? That's a little odd; I wouldn't have thought it would be a type of machine gun. Hmm, but wait, with this kind of magazine, the entrance would need to be pretty wide – I bet you can adapt it to have a different bullet size!" Josh tugged a few times on the bullets to test it, and then adeptly detached the clip. He fiddled with the skull a bit more, and then got it to turn, and the mouth to widen. "Oh, score! Why didn't you tell me it is made to have different bullets? You don't even have to do much, that's really efficient! Hey, what's this thing's name? Or does it not have one? I guess you're not really the kind of guy who goes around naming things, right?"

Gokudera forced a stop, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down and not blow Josh's face off. Despite his best intentions, violence really did seem necessary with this child. Moving the arm in his grasp, the Storm brought his appendage back, and then threw it forward again, right into Josh's nose. Said teen fell back, clutching his face, and swearing colorfully. Jonah was wide eyed and stared at the injured student like he was unsure if he was his idol, or worst nightmare. Nagista on the other hand, look positively dazed, one eye twitching.

"You're worse than Uri!" Gokudera groaned, making sure Josh stood again before turning away. "I didn't think it possible, I really didn't!"

"Who's Uri?" Jonah and Josh asked in unison. Gokudera's fingers twitched, like they itched for dynamite, and his brain was fried beyond repair. He stiffly refused to acknowledge the question. Josh winked at his new friend before returning to the inspection of the object of his awe. Gokudera glared daggers at him, but the other ignored him and continued to turn his arm every which way to see different angles.

Much to the science nerd's surprise, Gokudera snapped his fingers and the weapon responded with a burst a red flame. Josh jumped back to avoid them, fear corrupting his features when he realized his friend would be burned. The weapon was consumed in the fire, its features blurring into solid red, before disappearing when the fire burned out. Gokudera's arm was left bare, like there had never been anything there.

All three students gaped, jaws dropping. "How . . .? What just -? What?"

The Storm rolled his eyes and continued his journey down the road. "Flame Arrow."

"What?"

"Flame Arrow," he said again. "Its name, that is. It's called Flame Arrow."

Gokudera refused to respond to any amount of prodding after that. Aside from the occasional snarl or snap, he ignored them until they left the strip of woods, and stood in the light of day again. At that point, he stopped and turned to face the people in front of him, who gazed back curiously. In a quick inventory check, the Storm found he had been left with: one Rain flame-activated katana, minus the owner; two baseball players who had been attack by Moscas, one of which determined to interfere with his plans; a fairly smart science club member, that asked way to many questions for his own good; Flame Arrow; a temperamental cat; _two_ MIA friends, while enemies swarmed the grounds; and no idea where to go or what to do. _Fucking great._ At this rate, he feared they were falling like flies, one by one.

* * *

**And now we have some insight into who is where and what not. Side note: Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto are Juniors, Hibari and Ryohei are Seniors.**


	6. Adventures With the Annoying

**A/N: now I know we're all wondering: How the hell did Rose update so fast? I don't know. The chapter is short and I have too much time in study hall, okay? And I really didn't want to go over it like I normally do, so that's why there may be more typos than usual. By the way, I have a poll on my profile you should check out. Do it. I command you.**

* * *

Chapter Six

Adventures With the Annoying

* * *

**_Fucking great_**_. At this rate, he feared they were falling like flies, one by one._

* * *

Hibari slammed a tonfa into the skull of another solider. He huffed as the man fell to the ground, next to his comrades. Bodies were scattered around the front yard in no particular order. The prey had been ridiculously easy to handle, even with thick riot armor. Roll the hedgehog squeaked and scuttled closer to his master. It climbed onto the skylark's foot, and blinked large, curious eyes up at him. He smirked and gave it left to his shoulder. Roll's aid hadn't been needed, but the animal had been antsy and moving around would be good for him.

Using the tip of his shoe, the Cloud flipped over the nearest victim. The vest was solid black, like the rest of the gear, with light grey stripes slashed over each shoulder pad. The helmet's visor was tinted, allowing one to see out but hid the face. He wasn't interested in herbivores' faces, so he didn't bother to remove it. Hibari frowned; after a check of all the armor, he couldn't find any marks to distinguish who they were. Another scan on a different person yielded the same results. The only distinction was the grey streaks on the shoulders.

Hibari took a step back, and habitually flicked some blood from his tonfa. He couldn't place any group or organization in the Vongola or Foundation database that could be linked to the case by this one clue. He started slowly towards the school building. Maybe Kusakabe would have a better idea; the man was his right hand within Foundation and the school 'discipline committee.' He would be able to shift through the possible offenders.

Kyoya briefly wondered how said man was doing when his eyes flicked to the office windows. When he had rescued the Omnivore, who in turn gave him the order to secure the front doors, he had handed his boss over to Kusakabe. Tsuna had said he needed to get a message to the others, but Hibari could leave since he disliked company, and he would send the message with Kusakabe. Having been dismissed, the skylark wasn't one to linger and left as soon as possible, with the hope of a fight. Sadly, the men hadn't been much of one, but he still had orders to guard the area. He had heard the commands over the loudspeaker, but it had not given him a new job to replace the old one.

Resigned, he perched on top of the office roof, which protruded from the rest of the building. It was a good spot for watching the courtyard; I provided a clear, untarnished view. However, it failed to hide him, not that he minded. If a herbivore saw him then there was only a higher chance of a fight, and ambushes weren't his style. After a while with no new happenings, Hibari was decidedly bored. He sighed and leaned back onto the roof, watching clouds. Hibird chirped in his ear in protest, having been sleeping in his hair. The little bird groggily fluttered between his side and arm before curling up and dozing off again. Roll tumbled from his shoulder onto his stomach with a surprised squeal, tucking into a ball for protection. The skylark smirked in amusement - a rare form of affection he saved for his pets. He gently prodded the hedgehog, running a finger over the tips of his spikes. Roll peaked out a curious eye, slightly worried his master may be cut. It made him too nervous and he unrolled himself, but much to his chagrin, Kyoya continued to absently pet him.

Said skylark glanced at his squirming pet for a second but quickly turned back to the sky. Since he was on guard, he wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep, and cloud-watching seemed to be a good substitute. His sharp ears picked up the faint sound of an explosion, and he looking longingly towards it, but it was out of his zone. He chose to ignore it and hummed in slight annoyance. If this was all that was going to happen, it would be a long wait.

* * *

Mai grit her teeth as yet another person carelessly stepped on her foot. She shoved them off roughly, glaring at them. She at least hadn't lost Ryohei yet, she was still behind him and keeping up. She had to wonder though, how the crowd seemed to part for the boxing captain like the sea, yet immediately closed around him and crash into her. He didn't mind her following though, as he didn't go out of his way to ditch her. He occasionally glanced back to see if she was there – she couldn't tell if it was out of concern or to see if she was still there.

"Where are we going?" Mai called out at one point. She wasn't really expecting a reply so it was rather surprising when he did.

"Are you coming?"

"Of course," she replied automatically.

"Don't," he frowned slightly. He had given up on being falsely cheery, unless he needed to stop and speak with someone. It was definitely odd for Mia; Ryohei without his large grin. "It's not going to be fun, it's an _extreme_ mess. It's for the MOE project; I'm not supposed to bring people."

Mai paused in her step, more than shocked that he was talking about the mysterious 'M.O.E.' project. "W-wait, what're you going to do? I'm not going to let you do something idiotic and reckless all by yourself!"

Ryohei stopped with his hands on the door. He raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "But you'd let me do it if I wasn't alone?"

Mai pouted. "Yes."

"Then you should _extremely_ come along!" he dismissed, opening the door and peeking into the hall.

"R-Really?" Mai stared at his back as he started down the corridor. She wasn't quite sure if this was an actual agreement, or some kind of joke.

The boxer gave her a weird look over his shoulder, halting to wait. "Yes . . . ? Are you _extremely_ coming?"

"Uh, yes? – Yes, Coming!" Mai tripped over her own feet to catch up. She couldn't help but think this was some sort of trick. He couldn't be so elusive then just say yes.

The walk was spent in silence, another oddity for the boxing captain. She was becoming more and more convinced that something was askew, something was troubling him. She began working up the courage to ask while wondering where they were going.

"Ryohei? Where—"

"Careful!"

Mai held in a squeak when the other boxer grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a corner. She pressed against the wall beside him, while he slid his drawstring bag from his shoulder to his hand. She swallowed hard and suppressed panic; she knew that he kept his boxing gloves there and they could be considered his weapon of choice. He didn't open it, but kept it firmly gripped in his fist. He cautiously poked his head around the corner, frown deeply set. He motioned for her to stay there, and before she responded crept out and stood.

"Yo!" he greeted loudly, though who he spoke to was a mystery. "Did you _extremely_ need something? You seem _extremely _lost!"

Mai strained her ears to hear a hesitant reply, whispered like the person was afraid to speak aloud. She grimaced as she wondered if Ryohei was intimidating the poor person. She couldn't make out anything the person said, they were too quiet. Who did he think he was, scaring people and telling her to hide? Why was she hiding anyways? Against her better judgment, Mai stood and dusted off her legs.

Coming to stand behind her captain, it was revealed that he was talking to a small boy. She wondered if he was even in high school yet, he was shorter than most of the freshman she saw. He had black, spikey hair the fell over his left eye, with his right containing a red-orange iris. He had a sweater that was several sizes too big, and fell to his thighs like a dress, and his hands were tucked into his sleeves. Under the edge of the black hoodie he wore indigo skinny jeans that hugged his legs, and faded to purple towards the ankles. He shuffled his feet and hid his mouth behind his right sleeve.

Mai had to exert self-restraint to not scoop up the adorable child and cuddle with him. He distinctly reminded her of a kitten. She cast Ryohei a disapproving glare for making him nervous, choosing to ignore his own displeased expression.

"Aw, hello there! What's your name?" she gushed, crouching in front of the boy.

He blinked his large eye at her, and squirmed a bit more, not wanting to move his hand from his mouth. A muffled reply came through, but it was intelligible. She heard Ryohei approach and stand next to her.

"What was that?" She leaned closer, cupping her ear.

The boy resigned to speaking, and lowered his sleeve to his collar. "I-I'm looking for someone," he whispered.

"And who would that be?"

"33," he murmured.

Mai gained a confused expression. "Who? What's your name, little boy?"

"Mai, we should go," Ryohei said stiffly. She waved him off without looking, keeping her eyes on the child.

"M-my name is Komaru, but everyone just calls me Maru . . ." the newly named child looked above Mai. "I was told to f-find 33."

The female boxer tried to place what the number meant. It dawned on her that it was one of the Supervisors in the announcement. She turned to Ryohei for an answer; he was in the M.O.E. program, so maybe he knew the person.

When she did so, it showed Ryohei's rigid stance, with arms crossed over his chest. His grip on his bag was tighter than before, and the smile he gave Maru was stressed. "_Extremely_ why do you need to see him?"

Maru's expression had yet to change through the whole conversation. "I was told to find him," he mumbled again, giving no further explanation. "You are 33, right?" The child reached out towards him. "You look like him, the person in the picture."

"You're 33?" Mai turned to him in surprise.

Ryohei grimaced and stepped back from the covered hand. The boy simply took another step forward, hand still outstretched. He managed to grab the edge of the boxer's shirt. Said boxer's eyes flashed, and almost too fast to follow, he swept Maru's legs out from under him. The child gasped and fell on his face. Mai made an indigent cry, picking up the child and holding him close.

_"Ryohei!_ What the hell was—"

"Watch out!" The Sun grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her back, forcing her to let go of Maru. She strangled out a cry, one hand going to her throat, the other slamming to the floor to stop her from sliding farther. She hacked on her knees for a minute, before cracking open one eye to accuse the boxing captain of being an ass. She stopped with her mouth hanging open. Less than a foot from where she had been kneeling, a knife stood out of the ground. The dagger's blade was curved, and the hooked tip reflected the bright ceiling lights.

"W-What—"

"What's wrong, Onee-chan?"

Mai slowly turned her wide eyes to the innocent looking child. He tilted his head and looked at her with curiosity, like he couldn't understand her emotions. Ryohei grabbed her elbow and tugged her to her feet. Her knees were weak, and her mind was somewhere between slugging along at a pace of 0.5 and racing at a billion miles per hour. She suddenly felt a lot more appreciation towards the person beside her.

Maru was still looking at her in confusion, like he was expecting something that was currently missing, but seemed to move on hesitantly and looked to Ryohei. The boxer had a grim expression, eyes drifting between the boy and the nearest escape route. He knew the situation had just gotten beyond complicated, and his skeleton of a plan had failed before it had hardly started. He had planned to have Mai tag along for a certain amount of time, so she would stop denying him access, and refuse her entry when he felt it too dangerous. Of course, he hadn't expected the intruders to be getting so closer to the gym yet. With Hibari guarding the north entrances, no one should have been able to shoulder through there. That left the south entrance. Surely, the Guardian stationed there wasn't too badly injured, or even . . . ? No, he refused to think that. What mattered was that there was a threat in front of him, and a civilian behind him.

He needed to move, and fast. Maru seemed to wield knives, and if experience served him, these types of combatants almost never had a singular weapon. If he only had the one knife, he would have retrieved it by now. Based off his small size, he was willing to bet that the boy relied on speed more than power. It would make sense to send him to deal with a Sun Guardian, who had a reputation for both agility and hard hitting blows. He didn't need to look to know Mai was in all kinds of shock. He was questionable when it came to making her run, but he hoped that the fear might fuel adrenaline, and give her the kick-start she needed. He also hoped she would recover quickly. It was in her nature to be good at taking anything – news, hits, and everything between – but almost dying understandably might take more time to recuperate from. Before any of this though, they needed a distraction, or some way to get a head start.

"Ne, you are 33, right?" Maru asked again suddenly. It seemed like he did not want to move until he got some sort of confirmation.

Ryohei was never one to think of great, complex plans. So instead, he smiled and laughed. "33? What _extremely_ do you mean?"

The cheerfulness only made the child confusion deepen. "33. You are supposed to be Number 33, one of the Vongola Guardians . . . ?"

"I _extremely _don't know who would have told you that!" He wasn't lying. He honestly didn't know who had told this kid he was a Guardian, or that the number code meant that a person is a Guardian. He also never said he didn't know what was going on, or that he wasn't.

"B-but," Maru stuttered, baffled and wondering where he had gotten false information along the way.

"I _extremely_ need to go now, so here I say goodbye!" Ryohei squeezed Mai's arm once to let her know they were moving, and quickly turned and began walking away.

"W-wait a minute!" Maru jogged after them, frowning. "I c-can't let you leave!" He reached forward to grab the Sun.

Cursing in the back of his mind, he gave Mai a sharp push to the front and started running. He jerked to mouth of his bag open, and dove on hand in. Maru gave an indignant screech behind them, nervousness gone in the pretense that he had been deceived. Finding the prize, the boxer pulled the item from his bag. He slipped his Vongola ring onto one hand and it ignited in a small flame. Mai turned to look over her shoulder at the sudden light, but he gave her a brief shove to get her focused on the path again. Taking a deep breath, he smashed his fist into the small yellow box in his other hand. Before it reacted, he dropped it to the ground.

Skidding to a halt, he "guided" Mai up a flight of stairs they had stopped next to. The only resistance she gave was a swift, skeptical look. Meanwhile, the Vongola Box blew up in a bright light. Maru screamed from the other side, and the boxers were already half way up the stairs. Coming to a halt, panting, they glanced around on the second floor. Ryohei spotted a door to the left, labeled "Janitor's Closet" and waved them over.

Mai gave him a curious look, but regardless, opened the door and peeked inside. She frowned when she discovered that it was, quite frankly, a broom closet. She turned to confront her captain about why he wanted her to look at a storage space, and received and sorrowful grin. Her eyes widened for a second time, and she got his bag shoved into her hands, forcing her back. She tripped on an item carelessly left on the floor, landed on her rear, and the door slammed in her face. The sounds of clicking, and a sharp "_BANG_" came through.

Mai scrambled to her feet – angrily kicked the bucket she had tripped on – and slammed her palms against the wooden door. Wrestling with the doorknob proved only that it was locked. After struggling a while longer she resigned herself to the idea that Ryohei had just locked her in a closet.

"You . . . _ASS!"_ the Sun heard her scream with his back to her. He smiled, a bit rueful. He continued his way down the spiraling stairs, the sounds of Mai's rage slowly drifting out of earshot. Exiting the stairwell through a bright rectangle of light, he was greeted by his fuming enemy. The light from his box had died, and his companion guarded the door way. Its ears twitched as he pasted it, and he comfortingly patted its shoulder. Maru's eyes narrowed at him, and with a hiss, he lunged forward with his knife.

* * *

**You want to vote on my pooooooooooooll . . . . oh come on, we all know you have nothing to do because its the weekend and people aren't updating. For me? Or rather, for FfN? If you like DGM, MLP, Soul Eater, or Black Butler, you really should go check it out. Really.**

**Sorry for the short chapter. I needed to cut it here, for the ****_suspense_**** ;) I'm totally not trolling my followers with the cliffhangers, I'm just trying to frustrate you into reviewing :3 I love you guys . . . ? ~Rose**


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